Merry

  Chapter seven

  Less than a week later all repairs to the ship were completed, and we set sail.  

  Little time passed before rumors that the fountain had been discovered flew around the ship, and soon they reached the captain.  He demanded to know who had disobeyed his orders by telling someone, but nobody stepped forward to take the blame.  As a result, he called those of us who found the fountain forward for our punishment: ten lashes per person.  When I heard this, I panicked.  To save our shirts from being torn to bits by the whip, they had to be removed.  However, if I took my shirt off, my secret would no longer be a secret.  

  Unfortunately, nobody decided to spare the rest of us by taking the blame.

  Before my turn came I hurried to the cabin to unbind my chest.  When I returned to the deck I hunched over to make up for it.  My stomach churned as I listened to some of the others yell in pain.  When my turn came, I went forward to take my punishment.  I bared my back, but kept my shirt on over my chest.  The whip delivered the ten, stinging blows to my back.  I did my best to keep quiet, but even the largest of the men who took the lashes cried out.

  A few nights later I had watch duty with a few of the other sailors.  I leaned on the rail and looked out at the stars and the reflections on the ocean.  I walked down the length of the ship and saw Tom standing by the rail looking down into the water.

  “I wonder if I can drown,” he said, and then looked at me. “I can’t sleep.”

  “Why not?” I asked.  “Is it because of the water?”

  “No.  I’m just thinkin’.  I’m not one to admit that I’m wrong, but I regret drinkin’ it.”

  “Already?  Why?”

  “I’m thinkin’ bout me wife.  She’ll die before me, if she’s not gone after another man already.”

  After my shift I lay on the floor waiting for sleep to come.  I wished my efforts to convince Tom not to drink the water had succeeded, but he made his choice, and now he had to live with the consequences.  I knew that if given the chance, I would not choose immortality.  There were too many unknowns going into that decision.

  My thoughts turned to Lord Fitch.  We sailed to give him the water that would grant him eternal life.  What would he do with the life that the water gave him?  I considered stealing the water from the captain, but he always kept the canteen on his person, and besides, he knew the fountain’s location—he could simply return to the source.  On the chance that I did manage to steal the water, the men would have to go back to the island, and that would mean more time away from their families.  I could not be the reason for that.

  We landed at the nearest port for supplies, and also to send word to Lord Fitch to tell him when we would meet him in Hangman’s Harbor.  Captain let me disembark the ship along with the rest of the crew.  As this was my first time setting foot on civilized land in over six years, I was excited.  I accompanied a group of sailors to get drinks from the nearby pub.  Before long, most of them were drunk.  If I wanted to, I could have left—if Caspian was not sitting directly in front of me.   Ever since the shipwreck he ate meals with me and had seemed a little bit more friendly.

   “All hell is about to break loose,” I muttered to him, eyes on the drunken sailors.

  Caspian looked over his shoulder at them and sighed.  “Great.  I’m gonna go make sure Tom doesn’t bust his head open when he falls off his stool.”

  He sat at the bar and listened to Tom rant.  Struck with the sinking feeling that alcohol would be Tom’s crutch over the next several thousand years, I looked around, trying to see if any of the sailors were watching me.  I started to get up, taking a last swig of my ale, but at that moment a man perhaps in his thirties appeared in front of me.

   “Merry Blame?” he said.

  I choked, spitting my drink back into my cup.  “Excuse me?”

   “Your name is Merry Blame, is it not?”

  I felt my face pale.

   “Who’re you?” I said.

   “Do not worry, Miss Blame.  I do not come on behalf of the man to whom you are betrothed.  Will you come outside with me so that we may speak more freely?”

   “No.  I’ve got no idea what your intentions are, and I’m much safer in here.”

   “Would you prefer me to tell your identity to all who are inside this pub?  I am sure all would appreciate the reward Fitch has placed over your head.”

   “Bullying ain’t gonna work on me anymore,” I said, my voice hardened.  “If you think--”

   “Have you obtained the water from the Fountain of Youth for Lord Fitch?” he interrupted.

   “Why would you think I know anything about that?”

  “Because you live on one of his ships that searches for it.”

  I glanced at those who accompanied me.  They talked and laughed rambunctiously.  I did not want to risk one of them hearing our conversation, though that was not the reason I answered as I did.

  “No.  We haven’t,” I lied.

  He breathed a sigh of relief.  “You lived with Lord Fitch for a few days, correct?”

  “Yes,” I answered bitterly.

  “I ask you this, because a girl of your age and status who runs away from a handsome man with such a large fortune must have a reason.  Surely you will help us bring him down.  Do you know of any weaknesses he might have?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Does he have anything or anybody he cares about, or has he any place he goes alone?”

  I looked at him incredulously.  “Are you asking me to help you kill him?”

  He did not answer at first.  “I understand your reluctance to help us take someone’s life, but I assure you on my master’s behalf that Lord Fitch has malicious plans, and he must be stopped.”

  “No. No, I don’t know of any weaknesses, so please get out of here before people start asking questions.  I’ve spent too long running away from that past for it to come back and bite me.”

  He leaned in close.  “Lord Fitch is a dangerous man with dangerous plans, Miss Blame.  It will not be in your best interests to protect him.”

  With that he left.  I glanced at the men at the bar, hoping none had noticed my conversation.  I needed to get out of here, and soon.  I was rising again to leave, and Caspian sat down in front of me, halting me in my tracks.

  “First day in port and already you’ve found a friend,” Caspian said.  “Who was that?”

  I cursed cursed my slow feet and lowered myself back into my chair.  “Uh, that…He asked for directions,” I fibbed.

  “There were several people outside that could’ve helped him.  Why didn’t he ask them?” Caspian asked.

  “He asked, not me,” I said crossly.

  At that moment one of the drunken crewmen picked a fight with another customer.  Caspian went to go try to break it up, but before I even knew what had happened, everyone became involved.  This would be the perfect time to make my escape, but getting to the door was going to be a problem.  Chairs and fists flew; heads slammed onto tables, and mugs served as weapons.  I ducked as a plate flew toward my head, and I knocked one man into another.  The first reached for my head and chased me when I escaped.  Suddenly, I felt my collar yanked and an arm my middle.  I struggled to see who held me.  My assailant proved none other than Caspian, and we crammed into a small alcove that nobody seemed to notice.

  “Let me go!” I said angrily.  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  He held firmly, keeping me from walking into a flying mug.  “I’m keeping you from getting killed!  This ain’t no place for a girl.”

  I went rigid, and so did he as though realizing what he had just said.

  “What did you say?”

  “I said I’m keepin’ you from gettin’ killed,” he repeated.

  I wrenched away and faced him.  “No—I mean—How did you—”

  He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him so that I narrowly escaped a chair bashing my head.  In uncomfo
rtably close quarters with him, I saw him blush.

  “Sorry,” he apologized.  “Come on.”

  He took me to the ship in silence as the captain had mandated that I was to be accompanied.  I was too shocked to say anything.  The two revelations in such a short time proved a bit much to handle.  I could not even ask how in the world he had discovered my secret.  I knew I was not the most manly girl, but it had worked for the rest of the crew for six years.  Once we made it on board I left Caspian and went directly to Cook.

  “What’s wrong?” Cook asked as I entered.

  “Caspian knows I’m not who I say I am,” I said pointedly.

  Cook looked up sharply.  “Well how’d he find out?”

   “I don’t know.  I didn’t ask.”

   “You didn’t think to ask?  Really?  Is he gonna tell on you?  Do we need to get you out of here?”

   “I don’t know, I don’t know!” I said running an anxious hand through hair.

   “Well you’d best find that out quick, then.”   

  I had not the guts, nor the opportunity to confront Caspian for the next several days, and since nobody acted strangely or mentioned anything I had reason to put it off longer.  It was when we were on watch together a few days before we would land in Hangman’s Harbor that I finally built up the courage.  I found him standing by the ship’s railing and made sure no one was around as I sidled up next to him.

   “How’d you know?” I asked quietly.

   “I wondered when you were going to say something,” he said.

   “So?”

   “After the shipwreck--you know when I saved your life?  Well, when you’ve got your hands on somebody’s chest, you tend to notice things.”

  My jaw dropped.  “Were you copping a feel?”

  He raised his hands defensively.  “I swear on me life I wasn’t.”

  I turned around, wiping my face.  “Have you told anyone?” I asked.

  He shook his head.  “Nah, I figure you have your reasons.  I have four sisters I love to death and I wouldn’t want anyone doin’ that to them.”  

  That should have eased my mind, but I knew how people could lie.

   “You’re not gonna ask why?”

   “Did you want me to?”

   “No.”

   “Then I won’t.  And I won’t tell nobody neither.”

  I nodded reluctantly.  “If you’re telling the truth, then thanks.”